Stuart Pearce has picked an inexperienced Great Britain squad for the London 2012 Olympic football tournament.

The coach said he had picked the squad based entirely on merit, and had not taken nationality into account.

He said: "It has not been an easy task to finalise my squad for this tournament, and the stature of the competition and uniqueness of the occasion has underlined the importance of every choice I have made.

"With just 18 places it is very different from other international tournaments, the options are limited, but it is the Olympic Games and every player in this squad should be very proud they have a chance to compete for a gold medal on home soil."